{"id":336339,"date":"2019-12-23T09:31:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T17:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=336339"},"modified":"2019-12-23T09:31:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T17:31:44","slug":"khabib-nurmagomedov-says-retirement-is-very-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/ufc\/khabib-nurmagomedov-says-retirement-is-very-close\/","title":{"rendered":"Khabib Nurmagomedov says retirement is ‘very close’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Khabib Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend the UFC lightweight title against streaking contender Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 this April. While this mammoth showdown is at the forefront of the champ’s mind at the moment, he is also thinking about his inevitable retirement from MMA\u2014which is apparently “around the corner.”<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we don\u2019t have a plan for when we\u2019re going to finish but I do know it is not over the mountains, as they say,\u201d Khabib said during a recent Q&A in Russia (Via\u00a0RT Sport<\/a>). \u201cThat time is very close.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to think about the future, I still have to live to April, I still have to fight, I need to win,\u201d Nurmagomedov continued. \u201cSo, I don\u2019t like to look too far ahead. Now we have an opponent, Tony Ferguson, a very serious opponent. And I think it\u2019s necessary to have this fight then we\u2019ll sit down and think about what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll consider whether there\u2019s any point in fighting any more. There will always be a reason to fight: money. But will we need it? We\u2019ll think about it. I feel good now. I\u2019m 31 and it\u2019s a very good age to fight, and for sport. I\u2019m far from retirement age, but it\u2019s around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently a flawless 28-0 as a professional fighter\u2014easily the most impressive undefeated record in the sport at present. Highlights of his resume include recent victories over top-flight opposition such as Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Al Iaquinta, Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson and Rafael dos Anjos.<\/p>\n

Tony Ferguson will enter his fight will enter his fight with Nurmagomedov on a 12-fight win-streak, and is widely regarded as the champ’s toughest challenge to date<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Should Nurmagomedov get by Ferguson, he’ll certainly be short on credible challenges in the lightweight division, having beaten many of his rivals. At 31, however, he is still undeniably in his prime.<\/p>\n

When do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will retire?<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPENN.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 12\/23\/2019.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Khabib Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend the UFC lightweight title against streaking contender Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 this April. While this mammoth showdown is at the forefront of the champ’s mind at the moment, he is also thinking about his inevitable retirement from MMA\u2014which is apparently “around the corner.” \u201cWell, we don\u2019t have a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":292160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10114,39610],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nKhabib Nurmagomedov says retirement is 'very close' | BJPenn.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Khabib Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend the UFC lightweight title against streaking contender Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 this April.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/ufc\/khabib-nurmagomedov-says-retirement-is-very-close\/\" \/>\n<meta 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